Beyond Smallville: The Legend of Kara
by gardy77
Summary: New! Chapter! This sequel to the Last Daughter of Krypton features Kara Zor El in her own set of adventures. She'll meet new original characters as well as traditional Smallville / DC Comics regulars. Kara and Laura get involved in an ancient mystery.
1. Chapter 1: Legend of Kara

Red Eyes!" Kara hissed. "What is wrong with you? They were only offering me a job." John waved her off. "Their intentions were honorable, Kal El, yet your destiny is far greater than working for someone else."

"Jor El sent you here to protect Earth from primarily rogue Kryptonians, and also any invasion force from other worlds." Clark nodded. "I realize that now, but what about Kara?"

"I have no idea what Kara's destiny is or was." John admitted. "Jor El and Lara thought that they were sending Kara here to protect you. Zor El's intention was to send Kara here to help repopulate Krypton on Earth, and kill you if you interfered." Chills ran down Clark's spine.

"Yes, well now no one controls Kara's or my destiny except us." Superman stated boldly. "We will have to adapt, Kara." Clark began. "John, we're going to need some kind of cover. I've been giving that a lot of thought lately. Kara and I need to create two separate identities for ourselves."

"We can neither rule Earth as my father Zor El intended, nor ignore our destinies any longer." Kara sounded much more grown up. "It's going to be complicated." John agreed. "I have created multiple identities over time. Humans tend to have multiple personas as well. Duplicity is common."

"Kara, we can no longer hide out on the farm content to live our lives in secret." Kal stated. "As one of my good friends recently said: I lie on the couch while a world of trouble swirls outside my door." Kara smiled, slowly warming to the idea. She had never liked the fact that they renounced their heritage.

"Eventually someone would catch us using our abilities anyway." Clark added. "As Marcus and Zara have. We should still hear them out, and go visit their place of business. John, can you delete some selected memories that they acquired? The way you did for Lois?"

"Yes, but keep in mind, human psyches are complicated. I will do my best." The Martian Manhunter presses one long finger against Marcus's head, another on Zara's. They will forget why they came here and how they got here as well. You'll have to take them back to Metropolis."

The human's heads sagged as John removed his touch. "Kara and Kal El, I cannot always be there to save you. You'll both have to be far more careful in the future." John backed away slowly. "Also, I believe that your new friends can help you."

"Oliver, AC, Bart, Dinah, and Victor have all invented duplicitous lives. Unfortunately, it seems that humans fall into duplicity far too easily. There are others..." John added cryptically.

He flew off, leaving them to consider his last words. Kara and Clark carried the humans to the den and sat them on the couch. Kara hurriedly threw on a pot of coffee, boiling the water with her heat vision. She brought them the hot steaming mugs. Clark sat casually across from the strangers.

Kara sat on the arm of the chair beside Kal. Marc and Zara came to, yawning and stretching. "What were we talking about?" Marc began. "I'm sorry, it must've been sodding jet lag." Zara said with her clipped British accent. "You were asking Kara and I if we'd like to tour your business facility."

"Yes, of course." Marc faltered. "It so happens that I've been offered a job at the Metropolis Daily Planet newspaper." Clark explained. "It would make a great first story." Zara nodded reluctantly. Kara cast Kal a sidelong glance. "You also said that you may be interested in hiring Kara."

The alien teen smiled brightly. "Why didn't you want to hire me?" Clark pressed. "That's because Marcus almost exclusively hires women for his Arizona facility." Zara said petulantly. "Really? Why is that?" Clark wondered, sounding more like a reporter than an alien super hero.

"I've found that women tended to be more responsible and trustworthy than the men I know." Marc defended. "Surely all men can't be irresponsible and untrustworthy." Clark commented. "True, but I have my reasons." Marc said defiantly. "Fair enough." Clark said diplomatically.

"Kara and I will think about it and get back to you." He asked for their business cards. "Miss Rolfe, you mentioned something about archaeology?" Kara hinted. "Yes, I'm looking to increase my archaeology staff this quarter."

"We've so many bloody digs around the world, that I'm sodding short staffed all the time. It's not Marcus's funding that gives me ills, it's the foreign governments that are always struttin' about with their hands out. Grease a palm here, grease a palm there..."

"That might be something that I'm interested in." Kara offered. "Clark, what do you think? It would be a good way to learn about the culture, travel to foreign places, see the various people of ...ear...uh...the world." She quickly corrected herself. "Is that what you want?" Kal inquired.

"Yes, I think that I would." Kara beamed. "Miss Rolfe, what do I have to do? I don't want any special treatment. What qualifications do I need?" Marc seemed pleased with the outcome, though something was still nipping at the back of his mind. _Did I forget something?_

He glanced at his watch and realized that they'd been here...wherever...for well over an hour. "Then it's settled. You'll both come out to tour the facilities and learn about the business." Marc decided.

Zara stood up. "I've an archaeology lecture at the Metropolis Museum of Natural History this afternoon. You're both invited to check it out. Here's two backstage passes. We can talk more then."

"Sounds good." Kara said pleasantly. Clark's cell phone rang. He snapped it up. It was Lois. "I have to take this call. Excuse me." He headed to the back porch. "Yeah Lois?" Meanwhile, Marc and Zara finished their coffees, and still couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something.

Was John's memory manipulation effective enough? Only time will tell. Lois was excited. "You should've seen it Clark, Lex was fried by the Board of Directors. They unanimously voted against his closure of the Daily Planet deal. Perry White was offered the Publisher's job...he refused it!"

Clark wandered alongside the backyard foliage petting Krypto / Shelby at random intervals. Lois was rattling on. "Perry accepted the Editor's job instead. He wants you to come in for an interview as early as tomorrow. That's assuming that you're willing to get up off your butt from the farm."

"I'll sell the remaining forty acres to our neighbors." Clark sighed. He knew that it was time to let go of the past and that included his Earth father's land. His Earth mother, Martha, had already said that he could leave the farm anytime he wanted. She moved on to Washington.

"Thanks Clark." Lois eyes began to tear up. She was glad that he couldn't see her. "Thanks? For what?" Superman wondered. "Just for putting forth the effort." Lois downplayed her emotional state. "You'll see! It'll be great! Lois and Clark, Daily Planet Reporters!" She was really amped up.

Clark chuckled. "I don't have the job yet, Lois. Hey, here's some breaking news for you. Kara may be leaving for a new job as well. This old farmhouse will be empty without us." Lois considered something that she hadn't believed was possible. Could she and Clark start a relationship?

"Hello? Lois?" Kal noted her unusual silence. "Sorry Smallville, I think my caffeine and sugar buzz is wearing off. Anyway, I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning? Perry will want to schedule the interview with you. Bring your razor thin resume with you." She teased.

Marc and Zara were ready to go. Kara was just getting some last minute information from them. "Hi, um...that was Lois. She said that I'll probably get the job at the Planet. We'll be in touch?" Clark asked hopefully. He felt bad that Marc and Zara had to be zapped by John, but it was necessary.

_No one man or group should have that kind of power_, he mused, quoting some of the logic behind the Traveler fiasco, and Lex's attempt to control or kill him. Kara and Clark escorted the humans to their car. "Thanks for your time." Clark commented diplomatically. "Bye." Kara waved as they left.

Marc and Zara drove off in the general direction of Metropolis. "What were we tracking on the way out here?" Zara glanced at their small high tech locator device. "I'm not sure." Marc admitted. "Maybe we just left the GPS going." He said, though that seemed like a lame explanation.

"Remind me again why we were interested in those kids from Smallville." Zara said. "I mean they seemed nice, but why would we put forth such a grand bloody effort to meet them?" Marc watched the GPS, retracing their route to Metropolis. "I have no idea."

Kara and Clark headed up to the barn loft to gaze out at the sunset over the Kent Farm. "I guess things will change forever, now." Kara commented depressingly. "It's for the best, Kara." He hugged his little cousin.

"We still have a lot to do. I mean Lex is still out there, and now he'll be twice as angry with me, and Lois for that matter." Kara rested against his shoulder. "The whole planet will one day be watching us, Kal." She remarked, with some wisdom beyond her years. "It's inevitable, I guess."

"If I qualify and accept that job with Mr. Worthington and Zara, will I still have time to locate Kandor?" Kara asked rhetorically. "You'll find a way, Kara, I know you will." Clark said with confidence. "Meanwhile, i'll be spending more time in Metropolis."

Kara's bright blue eyes sparkled. "Yeah, with Lois!" She teased, playfully hip checking her cousin away from the window. "She's a good person, Kal. She seems tough enough, and responsible enough to learn our secret."

"I hope you're right, Kara." Clark smiled, again hugging the teen alien.

**Beyond Smallville**: _The Legend of Kara_

Kara Zor EL Kent flew merrily above the bright amber Kansas cornfields, admiring the diversity of wildlife, plant life, and of course, the people of Earth. Each farm looked different to her. Back on the now extinct Krypton, asteroid Argos, and City of Kandor, the ending of the planetary lives forced the remaining residents underground…before it all was destroyed in a devastating explosion.

Kara considered herself very lucky. She'd escaped the end of her home world, fled to Earth, found her cousin Kal El, and now enjoyed the hospitality of her new adopted planet. There were always problems, to be sure, yet here she was, alive and well.

Kara soared into the broken, low hanging levels of clouds, following a flock of geese, gathered in a standard 'V' formation. The super girl began to appreciate the little things of her new life. Clark and Lois had helped motivate her to leave the Phantom Zone, and now she had given herself a second chance. Additionally, rumors of Kandor still persisted within the tortured minds of the dark ghouls.

The wraiths, or 'Zoners' had let it slip that Kandor had been miraculously saved. Kala Grel, a well-respected Kryptonian scientist had been experimenting with miniaturization. Legend held that Kala found away to use the technology present in the Phantom Zone to create a type of multidimensional storage facility, and she'd managed to save most of Kandor within it.

Kara knew that it was a shot in the dark, but what else did she have to go on? Faith, and only faith, was currently motivating her. She called it 'her destiny' that night when she'd last spoken with Kal El at the family barn loft. Kara decided to start investigating the area of her crashed space ship.

She'd surfaced at Reeves Dam, during the battle of Bizarro and Clark, nearly a year ago. There could very well be a clue that she'd missed hidden beneath the lake. Kara extended her arms like an airplane and began to lower her flight path nearer to the now repaired dam.

Suddenly, something grabbed her ankle, bringing her enjoyable flight to an abrupt halt. She turned to face…BRAINIAC! Kara gasped as she twisted in the Kryptonian Artificial Intelligence's grasp. "You! Let me go!" She growled, attempting to kick the AI in his celluloid head.

"You're a hard girl to find, Kara Zor El." BRAINIAC said, pulling her towards him. Kara still struggled in his ironclad grip. "I see that you're disobeying your weak cousin Kal El's directives again, flying out and about where all of the pitiful humans can see you." He taunted.

"Why don't you just stay dead?" Kara hissed, flipping him over her head with her leg. The AI still held her shoulder, threatening to dislocate it or tear off her thin arm. "What do you want?" She snarled, having fought for her life in the Phantom Zone, Kara was in no mood for the AI's insolence.

"I wish to offer you a choice." BRAINIAC sneered, in a very human like expression. Kara switched positions, getting the AI in a chokehold, though he struggled mightily. "What makes you think that I'd be interested in anything you had to say? I should drag you back to Kal El, and let him deal with you." She snapped. BRAINIAC shifted his weight, flipping Kara over his artificial shoulder.

The two opponents hung in midair, squeezing each other as much as their immense strength would allow. "You can either join me in completing your father, Zor El's mission, namely to rebuild Earth in Krypton's image…or die." BRAINIAC stated with conviction. "You dare threaten a daughter of the House of El?" Kara scoffed. "You owe your very existence to us!"

"My father and uncle helped create you!" Kara ranted. "You were to help Krypton, not turn against us! You were created to serve us!" She shoved BRAINIAC off of her a short distance. He spun in midair and returned to get back in her face. "You're not programmed to kill another Kryptonian." Kara scowled. BRAINIAC 's celluloid lip curled. "I got over it."

"I am serving your father." The AI argued. "Zor El's plan all the long was to repopulate Earth with Kryptonian DNA, and call it New Krypton." Kara didn't buy it. "I'll reprogram you myself!" She snapped. "Or turn your rotting mechanical insides into scrap!"

"You can't, Kara Zor El." BRAINIAC countered. "You don't have the access codes." He lunged for Kara's thin waist, and she barely sidestepped his advance. "I can always shut you down, and figure it out later." She bluffed. "Humans are poor liars, as are you. I can see their influence on you already."

BRAINIAC and Kara continued to square off, rotating around each other like two lions approaching their prey. "You need to find a new mission." Kara threatened as she readied for the AI's inevitable attack. "Besides, Kal El will never let you harm the humans."

BRAINIAC growled, an unusual sound for an android. Apparently he'd increased his ability to mimic human sounds as well as their appearance. "Kal El will one day become irrelevant, and you can rule Earth." The AI tempted the girl of steel. "I don't want to rule Earth." She retorted.

"I intend to help the humans by any means necessary." Kara defended against the first swing of BRAINIAC's robotic fist, deflecting it with her elbow. The shockwave of the two titans hitting each other reverberated down to the ground. "Then you will die in humiliation, as will Kal El!"

BRAINIAC charged the teen super hero, as she grabbed his head with both hands and began to squeeze it. His artificial skull became misshapen but was too well built for Kara to crush it. The AI horse-collared the young alien, and began to punch her in the cheek. Kara took a few hits before spinning out of his grip. She backed away a few miles, intending to ram the AI.

"Take this, you overgrown hunk of junk!" Kara shouted as she accelerated to supersonic speed. The sonic boom echoed across the empty Kansas farm fields. Kara dove for BRAINIAC's midsection with both fists extended. The impact knocked them in opposite directions. The thunderous shockwave had been felt all the way to Metropolis. Clark picked up the sound and winced. "Now what?"

Clark and Lois had just returned from Marcus Worthington's Arizona Ranch. Lois had set her luggage down on the floor of the den within the Kent Farmhouse. "Thunder?" She glanced out the window. "Hmmm, not a cloud in the sky." Clark also found the noise suspicious.

Can't I get a moment's peace? Superman thought sourly. Lois fed Krypto / Shelby, and sat on the edge of the coffee table, digging out her laptop. "Okay, back to work, Smallville." She directed. "We have to finalize Worthington's story before tomorrow morning, per Perry White."

Another sonic boom echoes over the usually silent Kansas crop fields. "Something's not right." Clark mumbled. "Of course it's not right, that's why we call it 'finalizing a story' in the biz." Lois responded absently, as she flipped through page after page of her story's PDF File.

Clark ignored his best friend and colleague, instead opting to focus his attention on listening. He turned his head in the direction of the melee. He thought he heard an upset female's voice in the distance, nearly lost in the myriad of local sound waves.

Kara whirled head over heels just a few dozen feet above the farmland. The impact with BRAINIAC had knocked the super teen out cold. Gravity held her up as she spun across the state line. A young woman walked casually along an onrushing stream, following the yellow gold water towards its source. A thick layer of yellow orange sediment lay at the creek's base.

She speaks distinctly into her cell phone. "Hey Tim, just checking on my stash. You know I ran flat out of power yesterday evening. So we guessed correctly. Even I have my limits." The young man's voice replied: "That's good, I guess. That must mean that you can function normally…well, normal enough for you, anyway." Tim joked. "Funny, Tim-ster." She retorted.

Something soared over her head, landing with an Earth shattering thud, on the side of the muddy stream's bank. "WTF!" She shouted into the phone, making Tim wince. "Now what?" The teen gazed in disbelief at the sight. A blonde girl dressed in blue, white, and red lay motionless in a small crater.

The girl looked to be roughly the same age as she. "Laura! What's wrong?" Tim's panicked voice split the silent air. "What was that explosion?" Laura rushed over to the injured teen. "Tim, I'm okay. Let me check it out and get back to you." She flipped off the cell phone. "Holy crap! Are you okay, Miss?" Laura climbed into the crater and felt Kara's wrist looking for a pulse.

Her pulse was weak, her breathing was labored, and a small trickle of blood leaked from her mouth and ear. Laura bent down shaking Kara gently. "I better call for a paramedic." She muttered. "The trouble is that out here in the middle of nowhere, an ambulance would take forever."

She popped open the cell and it beeped. Kara's eyes fluttered open, and she coughed roughly. "No, no ambulance…I'll be all right." The alien super girl croaked. "Yeah, well you have a fairly narrow definition of all right, lady. Where did you come from, anyway?"

Laura was about to punch in 911 when a sonic boom shattered the air around her. "Whoa!" She glanced upward, expecting to see a fighter jet, or a large thundercloud in the sky. Nothing. Instead a single odd-looking man floated a few yards above her. "Now there's something you don't see every day." Laura commented.

"Hey flyboy! I don't know how you're defying gravity, but we could use some help down here." Laura instructed him. The alien's head jerked slightly, like it was out of synch with the rest of its body. "Run…go…now!" Kara muttered as her eyes closed once more. "Run? You're not going anywhere, sister." Laura carefully placed Kara's head back down.

She was getting the impression that the flying guy was responsible for the young girl's injury. "Do yourself a favor, lowly Earth creature, and walk away before you get hurt." BRAINIAC warned. "Are you threatening me…? Earth creature? Are you kidding me? Come on, pull the other one!" Laura snapped as she stood up. "Look genius…this girl needs help."

"That is not your concern." BRAINIAC's head twitched again, and Laura noted that the side of his face was suddenly distorted.

**The Legend of Kara **- pt2 - PG 13

Laura pretended to ignore BRAINIAC, turning her back on him. She flipped open her cell phone, set the disc camera to record, hit the mute button, and speed dialed Tim Servo's number. She placed the open cell phone on Kara's rib cage. At first Tim got an eyeful of Kara's ample chest.

Back at his home, Tim gasped. "This is better than Cinemax." He muttered as he watched Kara's chest heave up and down, as the fallen alien teen continued to breathe shallowly. "Laura? What the hell are you doing? What's that dude doing up in the air?" Tim's voice, of course, went unheard.

Laura faced the camera at her and BRAINIAC. "Stupid creature!" The AI yelled, showing a very anomalous human emotion. "Get out of the way! I will not ask again. Kara Zor El is mine." Laura grinned mischievously. Now it's time to see how indestructible I really am.

The AI ran out of patience. "Very well." He said and fired a quick volley of heat vision at her. Laura was still bending over Kara. The blasts of energy dotted her back and buttocks. To her it simply felt like a burning rash or moderate sunburn. She was about to turn and attack.

BRAINIAC fired a more intense burst of superheated air at Laura. This time it caught her square in the shoulder. She felt her shirt catch fire and peel off, sending smoldering fabric pieces to the ground.

"Now, you're just pissing me off!" She snarled, and stood defiantly before BRAINIAC. "Impressive!" The AI praised. "There may be some hope for this pathetic world after all." He pulled a fist sized piece of green Kryptonite from his stolen jacket's pocket.

That was how he had so easily defeated Kara, keeping her in a weakened condition. He shoved it at Laura, who just stared at it.

"Pretty. It glows." Laura quipped. "How...?" Before BRAINIAC could finish his sentence, Laura vaulted at him, with both arms extended, her hands balled into fists, and hit him in the mid-section, causing the AI to lose flight control and tumble down to the rocky river bank.

"What the hell are you?" BRAINIAC grumbled. "You're worst nightmare, freak." Laura countered, and leapt a good twenty yards to land beside him. The AI stumbled back up to a standing position. "That was your first mistake." Laura challenged as she used a Tae Kwan-Do move on him.

She swept low, kicking the AI's feet from under him. BRAINIAC fell onto his back as Laura closed for the kill. The AI attempted to jump into the sky, Laura was a hair too fast for him. She grabbed his arm, and body slammed the AI into the ground, with a tremendous thud, kicking the Kryptonite out of his extended hand. The green meteor rock flew into the creek, sinking to the river bed.

A small crater formed around BRAINIAC, who may have finally met his match. He wasn't down for the count yet, as the AI pushed straight up, managing to get a few feet above Laura before she caught on. He grabbed Laura by the throat, attempting to choke the life from her. It almost worked. Almost.

Laura jammed her elbow into his rib cage, which was actually just an encasement for the AI's inner workings. Electrical fixtures within the AI crackled, sparked, and shattered. Some were quickly repaired by an infusion of the black ooze, likely BRAINIAC's lifeblood.

She used the distraction to yank the AI over her shoulder in a classic judo move. Her toss sent the AI flying into the side of a nearby hill, embedding him in a layer or two of solid granite and limestone. By now, Kara was stirring, since the green K was no longer near her. The super girl was still weak.

She would still be no match for BRAINIAC. The rogue AI had nearly extricated himself from the hillside. Laura dashed to Kara's side, using her supernatural speed. "Okay, _Space Girl Barbie_, let's get you out of here, before it comes back." Laura urged as she helped Kara to her feet.

"Thank you." Kara managed to croak, spitting out a bit of blood. "Don't thank me yet, I still don't know what to make of this whole bizarre scene." Laura countered, grabbing her cell phone, flipping it off, much to Tim's dismay, and pocketing it. Kara wobbled a bit as she glanced over her shoulder.

"Let's get you home." Laura urged. "Uh...yeah, but I don't know where I am." Kara said. "Great. Let's start by you telling me where you're from." Laura helped Kara get walking again. "Smallville, Kansas." She muttered. "Yes, well you're not in Kansas anymore." Laura couldn't resist the barb.

"Ready?" Laura watched as a glazed expression crossed Kara's face. She super sped Kara away, heading back across the Kansas / Nebraska border. BRAINIAC staggered away from the hillside, making a few lame attempts to fly. Laura's beating had left him virtually powerless...for the moment.

"


	2. Chapter 2: New Ally

Laura zipped into central Kansas, still carrying Kara. "Okay, now what's your name again?" She asked the injured girl. "Kara, Kara Kent." She replied hoarsely. "Kent? As in Clark Kent?" Laura slowed to a sudden stop, jarring the teen alien. "Yes, Clark's my cousin."

"Oh this just gets better." Laura grumbled. "I met Clark and Chloe a couple of years ago. What is it with your family? Trouble just seems to come looking for you two." (Laura Lake: Gold Wing)  
Eighteen-year old Laura had a brief but meaningful fling with Clark in between episodes of the Lana Lang soap opera. She left him on mediocre terms, her love rejected.

Laura didn't hate Clark, but wasn't too thrilled about seeing him again. Still, curiosity… "I feel fine now, Miss…?" The blood stopped flowing from Kara's lip and her color looked better. "Lake, Laura Lake." The two super heroes shook hands. "Thanks for coming to my rescue." Kara added.

"Unfortunately, you've also made yourself a target for the Brain Interactive Construct." She concluded as Laura's eyes widened. "A what?" She was skeptical. "We call it BRAINIAC, an artificial life form, bent on destruction." Kara didn't share any more details.

"Great! That creepy flying thing is a robot?" Laura put her hands on her shapely hips. "Why not just pull its plug? I mean it needs electrical power to run, doesn't it?" Kara nodded. "The construct is infinitely more complicated than that, but essentially, yes, we can pull its plug."

"The problem lies within getting close enough to shut it down, or destroy it." Kara informed her. "The AI has proven to be a constant problem for us. Actually, I feel better now. If you want to go on your way." Laura shook her head. "No, I'll see you home, and say hi to Clark."

"You have unusual abilities?" Kara questioned. "Clark never mentioned you before." Laura frowned. "I'm not surprised. Out of sight, out of mind, I guess." Kara felt bad for her. "How fast are you?" Laura smirked. "Pretty fast!" Kara wanted to cheer her new friend up. "Race you to Clark's?"

Laura's eyes brightened. "You're on, missy." She assumed a race position. "On three…one, two, three! Go!" Kara laughed as the turbo-charged teens raced across the empty cornfields, two lane highways, and vaulted over grazing cattle and fallen trees.

Kara kept to her bargain, racing along the ground and resisting the urge to fly. She hoped that Laura would hang around for a while. Kara hadn't any friends, other than Clark's. She made it a point to remember to grill Kal on his fly by night romance with Laura.

Kara beat Laura to the Kent's front porch by a few seconds. She'd been running at quite a clip, yet not full out. "I win!" Kara chuckled as Laura pulled up alongside her, scattering dust and debris. Kara walked in, and Lois was still in the front room, working on her laptop. Clark was nowhere in sight.

"Hi Lois!" Kara was glad to see his cousin's potential girlfriend, despite her mixed feelings about Laura. "Hey kiddo! What the hell happened to you?" Lois noted that Kara's blouse and skirt were torn, dirty, and blood soaked, as she glanced up from the computer screen.

Then she saw Laura with half of her shirt missing, and she appeared to be sweated up and dusty. "Who's your friend?" Lois inquired, closing down the laptop. "This is Laura Lake." Kara shoved her new buddy towards Lois. "She…uh…rescued me." Lois's eyes lit up. "Rescued you?"  
"From what? A dust storm?" She teased. "Hey!" Laura briefly waved to Lois. Who's she? Laura wondered, slowly putting two and two together. Ah! Clark's new girl, I'd bet. She thought sourly.  
Laura considered making a lame excuse to leave, now that she'd gotten Kara home safely.

Lois got up and approached the teens, shaking Laura's hand. "Lois Lane, Daily Planet." She said half seriously. "Would your friend care to stay for lunch, Kara? I confess that my culinary skills are limited to P, B, & J. But you know how that goes." Kara glanced at Laura. "Would you?"

Laura fidgeted, but again curiosity had gotten the best of her. She had to stay and check out Clark's new babe. "Sure. Thanks Lois. P, B, & J is fine." Kara smiled brightly as she waited for Laura to sit down. Immediately, using some of her super speed abilities behind Lois's back, Kara made three sandwiches. By the time Lois had dug out the clean plates, Kara was done.

Lois eyed Kara suspiciously, but set the table, then dug into the refrigerator. "Okay girls, bottled water, pop, or orange juice?" She offered. "Oops. Scratch that. We're out of pop. I sent Clark into Metropolis to get some supplies and groceries, he's still not back yet."

That answered another of Laura's questions. The teens and Lois ate, and chatted about a number of things, including boys. Laura was starting to warm up to Clark's main squeeze, she thought solemnly. It had been almost two years anyway…

Suddenly, just as the girls finished, the ground shook and a sonic boom was heard. "Uh oh!" Kara winced. "What is with all the racket?" Lois asked as she got up to look out the window. "Lois! No!" Kara shrieked. Laura was already up and near the front door. She guessed that their robotic adversary had returned

Kara super sped to the window placing herself between Lois and BRAINIAC. Sure enough, the rogue AI fired a blast of heat vision, catching Kara square in the chest. He also held the green kryptonite rock before him. It glowed substantially brighter than before. Laura tore through the front door.

The impact had knocked Kara back into Lois, and slammed both girls into the opposing wall. For the moment, they were out of the action, which left Laura on her own. "You just don't get it! You extraterrestrial hunk of scrap car parts!" Laura snapped as she vaulted up towards BRAINIAC.

"It's you who don't get it! You can rule the world with my help." The AI tempted. "If I wanted to rule the world, I could do so without your questionable assistance." Laura countered, grasping at the floating AI's ankle. "Stupid creature!" He blasted the super powered teen with his heat vision.

This time, it was enough to keep Laura at bay. She felt some of the clothing burn off her chest, and spun away from the energy beam. With a tremendous second effort, Laura got the angle on him. This time she grabbed his leg and twisted it, slamming the AI thunderously into the ground.

The resulting impact sent shockwaves through the area registering three point four on the Richter Scale. Laura wouldn't relent. As soon as BRAINIAC righted himself, she attacked. Physically pulling the AI by the throat. Despite not needing any air, Laura's crushing grip cut off a good portion of the creature's black lubricant. Some of it leaked out of its mouth.

BRAINIAC held onto the glowing rock tightly, as if it meant something to him. Laura decided to take it. She yanked the AI's arm completely off, forcing its hand to lose power. Black ooze gushed from the android's arm socket, splashing all over the turbo charged teen.

"Yuk!" Laura commented, as she tried to wipe the ooze off her tattered shirt and jeans. Laura ripped the AI to pieces, remembering to keep the glowing green rock from its grasp. Partially covered in the black goo, she piled all the AI pieces together in the center of the Kent's lawn. _It reeked_! Laura wrinkled her nose as she headed back into the house. Lois was just waking up.

Kara was still prone on the floor, her shirt torn, and stomach smoldering! "Holy crap!" Laura shrieked as she dashed to the alien teen's side. Lois crawled to a kneeling position, rubbing her sore back and head. Laura had forgotten to dispose of the glowing green rock that she held in her hand.

Clark had finally zipped back to Smallville. The suspicious earthquake had attracted his attention. He spied the BRAINIAC wreckage strewn across the lawn, and as soon as he entered the house, fell limply to his knees before Laura's kryptonite chunk. "The rock…get rid of it…poison."

He managed to croak out before rolling to the floor, obviously in agony. "Oh my God!" Laura exclaimed, finally putting two and two together. The surprised teen dashed off, dumping the strange green rock in the bottom of Reeve's Ravine.

Meanwhile, a confused Lois helped Kara to her feet. "Clark, don't just stand there, looking pale and distraught, do something! She's injured!" Kara rubbed her head, and doubled over in pain, still holding her stomach. "We have to get her out…" He managed to say between dizzying room spins.

"No fooling, Sherlock!" Lois added angrily, guiding Kara past him into the bright afternoon sunshine. Immediately the teen super hero began to feel better, as did Clark, who'd managed to limp out after them. "I'll be fine, Lois, really." Kara protested, sounding much better, and standing on her own.

Clark caught some movement out of the corner of his eye. The black ooze of BRAINIAC began to congeal, and gather the few larger pieces on the lawn that Laura hadn't completely shredded. "What the hell is that?" Lois turned ashen. In the nick of time, Laura returned.

Clark and Kara were caught. They would have to explain all of this weirdness to Lois. Laura made a quick, rash assumption, and switched into hyper speed. _I've got to be careful here_…she measured the distance between her and Lois. "I'm sorry, Lois." She said quietly, and smacked her friend across the back of the head, with the palm of her hand. Lois crumpled into Clark's waiting arms.

"Crude, but effective." Laura grumbled, turning her attention to the others. "I hope that you two space alien geniuses have mastered the human art of lying. Kent, when your girlfriend awakens, she'll have a nasty headache, a nasty disposition to match, and a ton of interesting questions."

Kara was almost back to one hundred percent. Clark was winded, but effectively alert. The ooze that was BRAINIAC was still gathering its pieces. "Thanks, Laura, for all your help." Clark said honestly. "First things first, Kara are you ready?" The alien teen nodded. The two of them blasted the remaining bits of BRAINIAC into dust with their heat vision, amazing Laura.

"Remind me never to piss you guys off." Laura quipped. "Here, I have an idea how you can keep Lois at bay. Place her in the kitchen next to the wall." She began. "Kara, you lie at her feet pretending to be awakening. Clark, do you have a shotgun?" He cast her a puzzled glance.

"Just my father's old double barrel, I don't like guns." Laura nodded. "Amen to that." Kara asked her new friend: "What's your plan?" Laura rubbed her thin chin. "I was thinking that we could say that someone tried to rob you and fired the shotgun blast.

The bullets missed, but Kara and Lois were hit by debris from the windowsill. How's that?" Clark smirked. "Not bad. I don't think Lois would buy it." Kara floated a few feet above the grass, lost in thought. "What if we crash your tractor into the side of the house, and say that someone tried to steal it, lost control, and then I scared him off?" Laura threw the ruse out there.

"Sounds good." Clark found the scene somewhat amusing. "I'll get it after I set up Lois." He dashed into the house and placed her against the opposite wall, and turned over a few chairs to make it more plausible.

Kara took her place at Lois's feet, and tried several comical crash positions, making Laura laugh. "Ready?" Clark ran the tractor into the wall, knocking out the window, its sills, and a part of the frame wall. He minimalized the damage to the tractor, and the house would only take them a few moments to repair. Clark would later tell Lois that the insurance would cover it.

Kara settled on her chosen crash position. Clark would come in after the fact with the groceries. "One more thing, Laura." He grinned thinly. "That black goo on your arms, legs, and clothes, is how BRAINIAC reproduces." Laura wrinkled her nose. "Ew! Get it off!" She futilely brushed some pieces from her face and arm.

"Don't put your clothes in the washer either, because it will take the machine over." Clark added half seriously. "Yuk! It's starting to climb up my shirt!" Laura said as Kara snickered, pounding the floor with her hand. "We can blast the pieces to dust, but you'll have to sacrifice your clothes." Clark continued to find the ludicrous scenario amusing. "Fine!" Laura zipped upstairs, returning shortly.

She had donned Clark's high school football jersey and a pair of Kara's sweat pants. He grinned thinly. _That jersey has seen more action than I have_, he mused. _First Chloe, then Lana, Lois, and now Laura all wore the souvenir_. Laura piled her clothes in the yard, and Kara blasted them into oblivion.

Kara assumed her crash position at Lois's feet, as Clark sped to the store and back, carrying a couple of bags of groceries. Laura and Krypto / Shelby waited outside for their cue. "Ready?" Clark asked, as everybody nodded. He placed the bags on the counter and went over to Lois with a cold compress.

"Lois?" Clark shook her lightly and applied the compress to her head. "What? Ow! What hit me?" She muttered as Kara milked her part, getting up slowly and unsteadily. "And don't come back!" Laura yelled convincingly outside, causing Krypto / Shelby to bark on cue.

"Uh…it looks like my tractor." Clark said, helping her up off the floor. Kara leaned on the table, pretending to be dizzy. The charade worked to perfection. Laura ran back into the house, yelling excitedly: "Is everyone all right?" Lois nodded, though her head throbbed.

"What the hell?" Lois came to her senses, surveying the mess. "Someone tried to steal our tractor, but Laura scared him off." Kara feigned concern. "Did you get a good look at him?" Lois grumbled. "No, he was…wearing a black hoodie and old blue jeans. I never saw his face." Laura lied convincingly.

"Kara, are you injured?" Lois asked worriedly. "No, just a bit stunned." The alien teen fibbed. For some reason, she really didn't want to lie to Lois. Her hope was that one day, they would no longer have to hide the truth from her.

"Why are you wearing Clark's jersey?" Lois, even under a slight concussion, maintained her reporter's instincts. "I was in the shower when I heard the noise …you said that I was filthy." Laura thought on her feet quickly, the mark of a good super hero, Clark observed.  
"Are you going to call the police?" Lois steadied herself, leaning on Clark's shoulder. "Yes. Don't worry about it, the insurance will cover the damage." Clark told her, regretting yet another lie. "As long as you're all okay, I'll get the tractor back to the barn." He quickly left, before Lois could question him further. Laura trailed him as he backed the tractor out of the wall frame.

Kara helped Lois to her seat, righting the chairs. "You take it easy." She directed. "Keep the ice pack on your head, and I'll help Clark and Laura with the repairs." The super girl exited quickly. Lois sat at the kitchen table, going over the bizarre scene in her mind. She was becoming suspicious.

Laura followed Clark into the barn. "Clark, do you love her?" She asked bluntly. "Who? Lois?" His teenage companion caught Superman off guard. "I don't know, Laura. Love is an awfully big word. Lois is my best friend, no offense. Especially now that Chloe and Jimmy have hooked up, and Lana is who knows where." Laura's heart broke again, but she wasn't really surprised at his response.

"Oh. I guess you don't need me hanging around…" Laura began as she slowed her pace. "I didn't say that." Clark turned to face her. "Why don't you and Kara become good friends?" He wanted to keep the turbo-charged teen in his life somewhere, so he could keep an eye on her.

Laura still needed guidance, though she performed well enough in today's debacle, additionally saving both Lois and Kara's lives in the process. In Clark's mind, Laura Lake had earned a place at their side, and perhaps…even with Oliver's team.

Laura considered that. "Yeah, blondie could use some watching over." She quipped. "Exactly." Clark smiled brightly. "We don't know what the future holds, Laura, but we need to be prepared, and all stick together." Clark concluded as he walked Laura back outside where Kara was just emerging.

Sure that they were out of Lois's sight, Kara and Laura exchanged high fives. Clark laughed as he headed back into the barn to get supplies. _Their adventures were just beginning…_


	3. Chapter 3: Concentric

Concentric

_Concentric_ – Adj. Circles and spheres emanating from a single axis point.

Scene: Kent farm.

Laura finished putting the final nails in the new siding, when her cell phone rang. "Hey! Hi Tim! Sorry to leave you hanging." She said as Kara floated back to the barn to get some paint. "I swear, Tim! This blonde dropped right out of the sky, nearly on top of me."

Tim grinned lustily. "Now there's some imagery for you! See, that kind of stuff never happens to me." The self-proclaimed master geek said. "What's her story, sky diving accident? Who was that floating freak that attacked you guys?" Tim was full of questions.

"Let's put it this way, Tim-Ster, without revealing too much, we've just expanded our little freak of nature club by two. Clark I knew about, this new character, Kara, I didn't." Laura was deliberately trying to be vague, unsure of what to reveal to her trusted confidant.

"She looked hot!" Tim praised. "If you promise to behave yourself, and wipe the drool off your face, I'll ask her if she wants to come back to Falcon Claw and visit." Laura offered, as her natural curiosity had been piqued. "Oh dude! You are a goddess!" Tim sucked up.

"I know that." Laura responded, jokingly. "Don't get your hopes up, but I'll make the effort."

"I'll be eternally grateful." Tim gushed. "I bet you would." Laura teased. "Don't get smart with her, either, because she could probably break you in half." Tim smiled broadly. "True, but what a way to go." Laura snickered. "Okay, I'll give it a shot. Gold Wing out." She quipped.

"Cute nickname." Clark had heard the conversation, of course. "Thank you. I've been trying to work that into my shtick." Laura dead panned. "Would you mind if cousin Kara came to Falcon Claw to hang for a while?" Clark shrugged. "Fine with me, if you ask her and she accepts."

"Keep in mind that Kara doesn't get out much, so don't be surprised if she gets lost or something." Clark joked. "So she's from your home planet?" Laura had put two and two together over time. "Yes, she's originally from Kandor, in the mining colony of Argo."

"Kara arrived here roughly two years ago…" Clark went into the background story of his intergalactic cousin. A few moments later the teen alien joined them. Kara began grilling Laura about her history. Even Clark picked up a few new details on his ex-love interest, and turbo-charged teen pal.

Laura mentioned that the yellow hued Loracite was driving her supernatural abilities, without revealing the location of her stash. (See Gold Wing) "Isn't that dangerous?" Kara wondered aloud. "I mean what if you, like, lose power? Are you normally human?"

Laura shrugged. "I'm an ongoing process. My genius friend Tim was working on refining the Loracite for me to ingest. Frankly, it has no taste. It's like drinking water, albeit supercharged water. Tim's supposed to get me the Loracite in milkshake form, so it would be less obvious to the casual observer. I purposely let my batteries run down once, and I slept for two days straight."

"Tim was afraid that I'd die without the Loracite in my system. He seems to think that it somehow reorganized my DNA." Laura concluded her explanation. "You don't know for sure, do you?" Clark asked worriedly. He was still considering adding Laura to Oliver's team.

"No, I suppose not." Laura admitted. "Hey, I feel fine with or without a full blast of Loracite." Clark wasn't convinced. "Have you ever been to a doctor?" Laura shook her long raven black hair, letting the sun glisten off the two sets of golden blonde hair strands, which dangled from the sides of her head, before her ears. "Not since I was a kid. We're talking maybe five years old."

"I mean, it's not as if I can go to the med center and say, 'Doctor, can you tell me if an extraterrestrial mineral is reorganizing my DNA?" Kara agreed. "You'd be treated like a lab rat!" Laura nodded. Clark was considering something Marcus Worthington had told him.

"Laura, how would you like to know one way or the other?" He inquired. "How?" The mutant teen asked warily. "There's a special doctor that I know, Emil Hamilton. He specializes in unique cases like you and us. I haven't been to see him, but he's already saved my friend John Jonz life."

"I feel fine, Clark, seriously." Laura defended. "That's not the point…what if you're injured one day? Do you want to take a chance with a normal doctor?" Clark pushed. Laura couldn't fault his logic, and was touched that he still cared for her enough to worry.

"Okay. Okay. I'll consider that." Laura gave in. "Thank you." Clark smirked. "That's all that I ask." Kara was getting antsy, zipping across the barnyard and back.

"It looks like someone's got cabin, or farmhouse fever." Laura quipped. "Kara, would you like to come to Falcon Claw and hang?"

Immediately, the super girl slowed to a stop beside them. "Sure. What's there to do in Nebraska?" She joked. "Not a whole helluva lot more than Smallville, but we're certain to get into trouble." Laura added, purposely to irritate Clark, who frowned, taking the bait.

"You'd better not cause any trouble." Clark warned playfully. "Oh pu-lease, Clark! How much trouble could two super powered teenage girls get into?" Her eyes sparkled brightly. The Loracite within her system also seemed to be linked to Laura's personality, and emotional state.

"That's what I'm afraid to find out." He retorted. "You can have some quality time with Lo La back there." Laura threw in the dig as she pointed to Lois, clearly visible in the kitchen. Clark flushed. "I'll be lucky if she doesn't bite my head off!" He remarked. "Ready, K Girl?" Laura asked playfully.

"Sure. Race you to Falcon Claw?" Laura challenged, feeling her competitive spirit. "On the ground?" Kara pretended to be offended. "Yes, on the ground. My mutant abilities do not include flying…at least not yet!" She winked at Clark, and the girls dashed off, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

He wondered whether things had just gotten better or worse. By now Lois, was up and about, busily collecting her laptop and notes for her next Daily Planet article. Clark went in to face the music. Lois glanced up from the computer screen. "Where are the girls?" She asked.

"Kara was heading over to Laura's house to tool around." Clark replied, happy to be honest with Lois for a change. "Did you call the insurance company about the damage to the house?" Lois asked suspiciously. "No, we've repaired it with spare supplies, so it's kind of pointless." Clark hedged. "No harm done. Why increase our premiums?"  
"Clark, why do I get the feeling that you're being less than honest with me?" Lois snapped, and went back to reading her article. "Here, make yourself useful, Smallville. Proofread this." She directed, handing him her laptop.

Clark was happy to oblige, anything to get Lois off his back. It was almost time, he thought dryly. Lois and Jimmy, of all people, had been getting closer and closer to his and Kara's secret.

"Penny for your thoughts, Smallville." Lois began without making eye contact. "You're worried about our new domestic partnership slash co-worker status." Clark was surprised that she'd be so direct. "I don't know." He tried to dismiss any controversy.

"Relax, we'll work it out…unless you don't want to." Lois had thrown down the gauntlet. "No, it's fine. As long as we keep our personal space." Clark was still being honest with her, a difficult concept for him to get used to.

"Like, your barn loft hideaway? Why not give it to Kara? She's what, eighteen or so now?" Lois pushed the subject gently, and unusually tactfully. She was growing up as well.

"Sure. That's an idea." Clark agreed. "I was referring to us working and living together." Lois wasn't really hurt by his protests. She'd realized that he was gun shy after the Lana debacle. Her own personal failed relationship with Oliver had left a bad taste in her mouth, as well.

It was simply time to move on, Lois considered. "Okay, no pressure, Smallville. Look at it this way: At work, I'm your friend, co-worker, and you'll have to admit, your journalism mentor. Agreed?" Clark thought about that briefly. "Accepted." He said shortly, smiling purposely to disarm her.

Lois flashed a quick smile. "At the farm, I'm your friend and roommate." Clark reached a decision. She'd been right, it was time to step up. He stood directly in front of Lois, and made significant eye contact with her. "Lois, you're much more to me than a friend and roommate."

For that moment, she melted into his eyes. "Thanks, Smallville, that means a lot. I'll go with being your BFF for now, before things get too complicated." Lois backpedaled slightly. "Good enough."

Clark grinned broadly at her. Lois was getting teary eyed. "Damn dusty farm!" She quipped, wiping the tears off her cheeks. Clark laughed. "Your article is fine." He returned the laptop to her.

Scene shifts to Falcon Claw:

Kara had slowed to a stop at the first intersection within the borders of Falcon Claw, Nebraska. Laura noted the race had ended, and returned to a normal human jog, breathing heavily. "Well, we know…that I can't… keep pace with you." Laura admitted her defeat graciously.

"I'm sorry." Kara said honestly. "Don't be, K Girl. I have to keep testing my limitations, so I'll know just how far to push it." Laura remarked. "Thanks for coming with me to flyover country." Kara smirked. "It's no different from Kansas. We need to be where the action is." The alien teen joked.

"Yeah, about that." Laura began. "There's not enough crime in this one horse town to keep me busy for more than five minutes. Now that I'm eighteen, I'm going to branch out." Kara cast her a sidelong glance. "You want to go to a big city…and do what, exactly?" Laura bent over, catching her breath.  
"Crime-fighting, that's what." Laura replied as she stood back up. "Any American big city is crime-ridden. Metropolis, Gotham, Central City, Star City, Coast City, even Midville, which isn't all that far from Falcon Claw, has its share of perverts, low-life, dope heads, and organized crime."

"You want to personally clean up the cities?" Kara asked bluntly. "That's the plan, K Girl. We've been given a substantial gift here. We can make a difference. We can help the little guy, or smash the corrupt bad guys." Laura went on. "Don't worry, we won't overstep our bounds…much!"

Kara, learning quickly, bumped fists with Laura. "Come on. We'll jog normally the rest of the way. You'll like my friend Tim. He's a bit lanky and geeky, but has a heart of gold. I literally trust him with my life." Laura led the way, with Kara patiently jogging beside her.

This sure is slow, Kara mentally complained. I can't wait until the day comes when I can soar through the skies, with no one giving me a second glance. I bet Kal wishes the same thing.

Tim's house: Laura arrived first, and shoved open the door. "Shouldn't we have knocked first?" Kara reminded her new BFF. "No. Tim won't mind. He's madly in love with me y'know." Laura teased. "Is he really?" Kara took her gibe in stride. "Yup. I mean who can blame him?" She joked.

Kara snickered. "Yo! Tim-ster! I brought you a present!" Laura's wit was unrelenting. "Tim! Girl alert! Pants on, please!" She called loudly into the house. Kara shook her head, rolling her eyes. The seventeen-year old genius walked out of the first floor bathroom wearing a blue bathrobe.

On seeing Kara, poor Tim nearly swallowed his toothpaste. "Tim, are you rabid?" Laura taunted, continuing: "Didn't we discuss this drooling issue you have? Go rinse!" Kara put her hand on her head, flushing slightly. She felt bad that Laura had freaked Tim out, embarrassing the poor lad.

Tim hustled to the bathroom and returned quickly. "You know Tim, it's after 4 PM, isn't it a little late to be roaming around the house in your bathrobe and Snoopy pajamas?" Laura derided him. "I'm not wearing any pajamas!" Tim snapped. "Again, too much information!" Laura quipped.

"Anyhow! Tim Servo, boy genius, this is Kara Kent from Smallville." Laura introduced them. Tim offered a hand. Laura glanced down at it. "Hands clean?" Tim nodded. "For your information, I just got out of the shower!" He sounded offended, so Laura decided that she'd teased him enough.

"My goodness!" Tim gushed as he shook Kara's thin hand. "Welcome to my humble abode. It's a rare treat for me to entertain a young goddess!" He schmoozed. "Does he always talk like that?" Kara asked Laura. "Yes. It's his way. You'll get used to it." She smirked as Kara let go.

"As the stars would have it, I'm amazed to have two beautiful girls like yourself under my roof." Tim continued to pour it on. "Tim, it's getting thick in here. Kara, as I explained, is Clark Kent's cousin." Laura gave Tim a chance to catch his breath, as he got over the initial shock.

"What planet are you from? And can I go there?" Tim shamelessly flirted. Kara gave Laura a dirty look, as the metahuman grinned thinly. "Oops! Opened mouth, inserted foot." She apologized to Kara. "I sort of mentioned that you were from Clark's family, so naturally…"

Kara waved her off. "What ever! I don't really mind that you told someone else. It's just that I would have liked to give you permission first." Laura sulked, ruining her smart-alecky mood. "Sorry. I won't do it again." Kara was emotionless. "It's okay. I'm tired of living in the shadows anyway."  
"Tim, my planet, called Krypton, was destroyed a millennia ago, if my space and time estimates are correct." Kara began, adding a bit more to the story. She was still unsure as to how much to reveal. "So, you can't go there, and neither can we." She concluded as Tim gawked at the alien beauty.

"Uh… welcome to Earth!" Tim said, completely stunned. Kara thanked him, ushering in an uncomfortable silence. "Tim, don't you think that you should dump the bathrobe, go upstairs, and change?" Laura urged. "Oh. Yes of course. I'll just be a minute. Can I offer you anything?" Tim was trying to be gracious, and Laura appreciated the effort.

"How about an ice tea?" Kara asked. "Of course." Tim bowed low to Kara. "And you, my sweet?" He directed his fawning back to Laura. "The same." Kara was growing embarrassed with all the attention the strange human was paying her. "Tim, one more thing…don't bow. I'm not royalty. I'm just like you and Laura, albeit from another place." Tim nodded, and sped upstairs, fast for him, anyway.

Laura sat comfortably in the family EZ chair, and directed Kara to the couch. "How long have you known Tim?" Kara began the questioning. "About two years, since we were sophomores at Falcon Claw High." Laura responded. "I had to tell him my secret. I was tired of no one knowing…"

"What made you want to tell him, specifically?" Kara was attempting to understand her own life as well. "I guess that I knew immediately that I could trust him. Also, it wasn't as if either of us was mister and miss popularity in school. I knew that he'd believe me…about my powers." Laura answered honestly. "I'd never trusted anybody before…except for your cousin and Chloe."

Tim returned with the drinks, and sat beside Kara, though not too close. "So you're an alien?" he asked lamely, causing Laura to roll her eyes. "I prefer intergalactic refugee." Kara joked, parroting one of Clark's lines. "No, you may not tell anyone, Tim." Kara smirked. "Either Laura or I could rip you to pieces." She pretended to be serious, Tim gulped, getting the message.


	4. Chapter 4: The Legends Begin

**The Legend Begins**:

"Where did you get these?" Kara hissed, simultaneously speeding back and holding Tim a foot in the air by the throat. Tim reddened as Kara tightened her grasp. "Take it easy, Iron Grip Barbie!" Laura snapped. "That's my best friend that you're about to turn into a rag doll. Tim, did you leave your nudey pictures on the screensaver again?" Tim flushed. "No." He croaked.

"Kara! Put him down!" Laura ordered angrily. The super girl reluctantly released her grip and set Tim back down on the carpeted floor. He gasped for an influx of air. "Those symbols are Kryptonian!" Kara gestured towards the monitor. "What?" Laura was skeptical. Kara's eyes flared red.

"What's Cryptonian again?" Tim managed to squeak out in between ragged breaths. "My home world language! You shouldn't be messing with things that you don't understand." Kara threatened, about to dash back to Smallville. "Wait! Chill, K Girl! Tim didn't know that the message was Kryptonian."

Laura continued. "He just assumed that the drawings on the cave walls we recorded, were ancient Native American Indian writings." Kara's eyes went back to normal. "Oh! I'm sorry! Clearly, I have trust issues." She defended. "Do ya think?" Laura grimaced as she spoke.

"I should go." Kara said sadly. "No, you don't have to, Kara. It was an honest mistake." Laura assured her. "Of course, it's not my house." She cast a meaningful glance at Tim, who had backed away, until he was flat against the living room wall. His breathing had returned to normal.

"Sure Kara …an honest mistake." Tim acquiesced, rubbing his throat. Kara sped back to him, startling the boy genius. She made direct eye contact with him. She extended a hand. "Friends?" He reluctantly took hers, and Kara carefully shook it. "Okay, friends." Tim muttered.

"See, now let's all play nice!" Laura remarked facetiously. "Kara, can you sort out all of that gibberish?" Kara frowned. "It's not gibberish." She said shortly. "This passage foretells of a great tragedy. It's written in an older Kryptonian dialect. A great ruler from the stars would bring ruin and devastation to any planet in his path." Kara translated the photographed transcripts.

"Terrific!" Laura commented. "Why can't they warn of impending butterflies and fuzzy puppies?" She asked, her voice filled with sarcasm. "They weren't created by the Tekamah Indians, then?" Tim warily crowded Kara, glancing over her shoulder, and smelling her hair.

Laura cleared her throat, and Tim backed away a few steps. "It's about one of our enemies, but I can't identify which." Kara was genuinely puzzled. Had Zod or some of his disciples visited Earth over two hundred years ago, and to what end? Why use the primitive form of communication, cave drawing, to spread a false legend? It made no sense to Kara at all.

"K Girl, do you want to hit the Midville Arcade? That's where most under twenty-one delinquents gather. You won't find a more interesting place than that around here. It's only about a forty-minute ride. Yes we have to use the outdated concept of a car to get there." Laura quipped.

"Tim, are you game?" She asked. He gave Kara a wary glance. "Yes, but we're asking for trouble." He replied. "Why?" Kara inquired. "There are a bunch of low life out there that live for confrontation, and disorder." Tim added. "Don't worry Tim-Ster, we'll protect you. Super heroes, remember?"  
Laura's comment seemed to satisfy him. "It does cost money, y'know." Tim recalled. "Don't worry, I've got you covered." Laura assured him. "My parents had set up a trust fund for me. It's not a lot, but it will help me get started in the world. After I turned eighteen, Aunt Wanda received some payments to cover all the expenses for me that my parents could think of."

"It's a good thing they planned ahead." Tim remarked as he grabbed his wallet. "What about you, Kara? Do you like, have a job or anything?" Laura asked her friend. "I was working at the Talon, our coffee house, for a while, but that hadn't worked out. My Aunt is Senator Kent. She's sent some money for Clark and I to use." Kara explained. "Though I don't like taking money from her."

Laura rubbed Kara's shoulder. "Unfortunately, on Earth, money is a necessity." Kara nodded as Laura snapped her fingers. "I'll be right back. We're going to Midville in style." She said, adding: "Can I trust you two not to kill each other while I go get my dad's car?"

They nodded, as Laura zipped away. Kara and Tim shared an uncomfortable silence. "Uh…how many of you are there?" He asked awkwardly. "As far as I know, Clark and I are the last of our race. I haven't given up hope, yet. There had been talk back on Krypton about advances in miniaturization. I believe that it's possible that my hometown, Kandor, had been saved."

"Really?" Tim was fascinated, science, however mysterious and alien, was one of his favorite subjects. "Yes. It's conceivable that Kandor had been miniaturized, and brought across the galaxy by remote spacecraft. I can't prove it, but it's all that I have to go on for now." Kara shared. "I'll help in any way I can." Tim volunteered, bringing a huge smile to Kara's face. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Um…what can you do…I mean do you have abilities like Laura?" Tim's curiosity had gotten the best of him. Kara thought about that for a moment. "Yes, but my cousin, Kal discourages me from using them." Tim seemed puzzled. "Kal?" Kara reddened. "Oh yeah, that's Clark's real name." She admitted. So much for keeping our identities a secret, she mused.

"Why would he not want you to be who you are?" Tim asked the obvious. "It would be like my mom or dad telling me not to run, swim, or jump." Kara shrugged. "He's trying to protect me. What he fails to see is that no matter what we do, Clark and I will always be aliens. He's spent his life hiding who he is from the world. He's been attempting to be human. The bottom line is that we aren't."

Tim considered the weight of what Kara had said. His thoughts were interrupted by an annoyingly loud car horn being blown in Tim's driveway. He popped his head up to glance out the window. Laura waved, confidently sitting behind the wheel of a mint, fire engine red, 1969 Ford Mustang convertible. "Let's go Tim! While we're still young!" Laura yelled into the town home.

Tim followed Kara outside, locking the door behind him. He pleasantly held the passenger side door open for Kara, who thanked him, and then he entered the cramped backseat. "Buckle up!" Laura laughed. Kara cast a sidelong glance at her.

"Seat belt, K Girl! We don't need to attract any unwarranted attention from the local police.

Laura hurriedly popped the car in reverse, knocking Tim across the rear seat purposely. "Whoa! You're the one who's going to attract the police!" He grumbled. Laura snorted derisively and headed out onto the main highway. The wind blew Kara's long blonde hair behind her.

She seemed to be enjoying the ride, and her new friends' company. Finally, my own buddies! Kara mused happily. Soon they arrived in Midville. It was a fairly common looking suburb of Lincoln.

There were family homes, town homes, condos, and a varied assortment of residents.

"Road trip!" Laura hooted. "Woo hoo!" She quickly located the Midville Arcade, which was just East of a large shopping mall. Parking and securing the Mustang was simple. Keeping a low profile wasn't, as Laura soon found out. "Hey dudes! Check out the babes and the ride!" A tall slim teenage boy pointed out loudly to his cadre of friends, mixed males and females.

Tim sheepishly followed Kara and Laura as they entered the arcade building. The gaming center was very populated, with teenagers of every race, age, and ethnic group. Kara admired the excitement of the human children, as they darted from game device to game device.

In her mind, compared to Kryptonian offspring, human kids were overly excited, unsophisticated, undisciplined, and yet they seemed happy. Two young girls slurped on large sodas. The older one couldn't have been more than thirteen, as she checked them out. "You're pretty!" Her younger sibling, no more than seven or eight said. Kara reddened. "Aww! Thank you, and so are you."

The super girl watched as the kids dashed away, their attention spans limited to viewing the next arcade game, cheering for a friend, or attempting to locate the snack area. Kara viewed the scene as an outsider, yet she suddenly felt like a part of something larger than herself.

This is it! Kara thought. This is why I was sent here. Not to create Earth in New Krypton's image, not to control or conquer it, like my father Zor El had intended, but to watch over Earth and it's residents.  
I was sent here to help Kal El defend the antiquated planet against more powerful and advanced societies. Kara's moment of clarity was compromised by a shout from Tim.

"Now what?" Laura asked no one in particular. Kara's mind snapped immediately back to reality. She located Tim, who was cornered by three husky teenage boys. "Who are those babes, your sisters, geek?" One light skinned boy said in a gruff voice belying his advanced age over the rest of the crowd. "No, just friends of mine." Tim replied nervously.

"Friends, huh?" A second, tall, heavy-set, dark skinned boy said. He, too, seemed considerably older than the majority of the patrons. "I knew that they couldn't be your girlfriends!" He growled, making his other friends laugh. Kara's eyes suddenly went red. Laura noted her alien BFF's change in mood.

"K Girl, chill!" Laura directed. "This kind of thing happens to us all the time. Let me handle it." Kara's eyes slowly went back to their original bright blue color. "How can people be so mean to one another?" The alien beauty asked. Laura sighed. "That's the way humans are, Kara. No one is perfect. There will always be more mean, aggressive, and commonly uneducated people in the world."

Laura stalked over to them, tapping the biggest brute, a six-foot plus, two hundred something pound boy with light brown skin, black hair, and a newly grown goatee on his chin, on the shoulder. "Is there a problem, here?" Laura asked with a slight menacing tone to her voice.

"Hey sweet cheeks! No problem here!" The first light skinned guy said, forcing a toothy smile to his unshaven, and unkempt face. "We were just asking your boyfriend here for your phone numbers." The darkest skin boy remarked, with a lusty grin. "Why ask him? You can ask me directly." Laura commented, as her eyes narrowed. Kara closed in on them as the first boy whistled at her.

"Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" The light brown skinned guy said. "Chickee! You are hot!" Kara frowned and assumed an attack position, circling the unruly teens like a hungry lioness.

Laura kept an eye on her as she continued to taunt the boys. Tim cowered slightly, edging behind Laura.

"Check out the nerdling!" The lightest skinned boy said. "He's hiding behind a skirt!" The other boys guffawed loudly. "I'm not wearing a skirt!" Laura said in a calm, threatening tone. "What about it, sweet cheeks?" The first boy asked. "Can we have your phone number? You can party with us!"

"Sure." Laura teased, as Kara cocked her head to one side, and Tim glared at her fearfully. "It's in the phone book!" She snapped. "Oh, I'm sorry! That means that one of you would have to be able to read. I guess you're out of luck!" Kara snickered as Tim began to sweat bullets.

"Ooh! Snap!" Another teen girl walked by casually observing the confrontation. "What's up with that?" The darkest skinned boy asked. "You're disrespecting us!" Laura laughed maniacally. "Can you even spell that word, genius?" She continued to taunt. The light skinned boy attempted to grab Kara's arm. It was very nearly the last thing he ever did.

Kara reacted reflexively, grabbing the delinquent, and throwing him through a nearby arcade window. Alarm bells began ringing, as the children began running towards the exits, nearly injuring each other in the process. "Oops!" Laura reddened. "I guess the party's over, sweet cheeks!" The remaining thugs were about to scramble away, when one tripped over Tim, and sailed into a pinball machine.

The other darted in another direction, cursing at the girls vehemently. Laura and Kara stood alone as they helped Tim up off the floor. "Well, that could've gone better." Laura remarked. Kara cast a sorrowful glance at the floor. "I'm sorry, I guess I lost my temper!" She admitted.

Laura put her arm around Kara's back. "Don't worry about it, K Girl, it's my fault for getting smart with the bullies, instead of grabbing Tim and bolting. I hate to run away from a fight." Tim straightened his Polo shirt out, and said: "We'd better go before Mall Security gets here. The kids will come back later, after all of the excitement is over."

"This happens to you all the time?" Kara asked Tim. "Pretty much." He replied. Laura sighed as the three friends headed out across the mall parking lot. "Don't judge all humans by the behavior of a few idiots, Kara. The majority of folks are calm and good-natured. There are always exceptions."

Kara's super sensitive hearing picked up a noise from a deserted corner of the parking lot. She brushed the hair away from her ear to focus on the sound as Clark had taught her. A young girl was yelling. "Help! Get away from me!" Laura noted her friend's sudden attention lapse.

"What's up, K Girl? Is your Spidey Sense tingling?" Laura quipped. "Someone's in trouble! Follow me!" Tim jogged behind the speeding girls. "Here we go again." He muttered. Kara reached the corner of the lot first. A large brown van, and a much bigger white truck were parked in an alleyway behind one of the stores. Six or more men had surrounded two girls.

As they drew closer, Kara recognized the younger one as the girl that had complimented her, and the child's older sister. Something was wrong! "I don't like this, Kara. Something smells, and it's not the old garbage bin behind them." Tim was out of breath, finally catching up with them.

"Tim! Stay!" Laura said quietly. "What am I, a beagle?" He mildly protested in between gasps for air. Kara glanced at him. "She's right! Tim, this is much more serious than a group of unruly punks. Get ready to call for the police. Let's investigate this, first." The alien beauty directed.  
Kara and Laura each took different routes toward the suspicious activity. The smaller of the two trucks, had been parked with its back end facing a doorway. The larger truck sat a bit further ahead. Kara noticed that the white truck was partially filled with unopened merchandise.

From Laura's viewpoint, she'd spotted two drivers tied up, blindfolded, and gagged beside the garbage bin. One thug held a black, large barreled gun on the victims. Thankfully, they hadn't been severely injured yet. Four goons had surrounded the young girls, who were shaking and terrified, sobbing softly.

"What're we gonna do wit dem?" An older, scruffy looking man asked. "I don't know, yet, Steve." A second guy replied. "Idiots! No names! You know what the boss always says, no witnesses." A third creep growled. "They're just kids! We can't simply pop a cap in each and toss them into the river!"  
The second thug argued. "We oughta do just dat." The oldest thief said.

"Oh no! I ain't goin' down for murder one!" The fourth robber added. "Let's grab da stuff and blast. We ain't got time to play games! We got deliveries to make." The other three seemed to agree. "We gotta do somethin' to keep dese kids quiet." Another creep began pacing. "Shut up! I'm thinking."

"Hey, they gotta have school I D s on them, right?" The second thief offered, as the girls whimpered. "Yeah, maybe. So what?" Another asked. "We take their I D s, and get their names and addresses." The original thug stated. "Here dat you little pests?" He asked the girls. "We take your I Ds and if you rat us out, we come get youse! You ain't gonna be happy about what we do wit youse either."

"Let's go, you morons! We still have to get back to Intergang Headquarters with the stash!" A fifth guy said as he continued to fill the smaller truck with merchandise. "Hey, ain't we not s'posed to use da boss's name?" The thug nearest Kara said, as she advanced on him from his blind spot.

Laura saw Kara stalking the robbers, and shook her head. "At least our super girl is consistent." She mumbled. Tim watched in anguish from behind a small SUV. She zipped in on the thieves from the opposite direction. The two super heroes had the thug gang surrounded. The hard part would be rescuing the children, and freeing the driver and employee.

Without communication, the rescue would be difficult. Suddenly Laura had an inspiration. "K Girl can you hear me? If you can, nod once." Kara complied. "Good. I'm taking out the four goons by the children. You stop the gunman from filling their hostages full of lead, got it?"

Kara nodded once, and immediately grabbed the gunman by the arm with super speed, the revolver fired a round, and Kara managed to deflect the bullets into the metal garbage bin. Laura moved in simultaneously, tackling the thugs closest to the children. She rammed them all into the side of the white truck with a vengeance, effectively taking them all out of the fray.

That still left two creeps unaccounted for. Rather than risk capture, they dove into the brown van, and attempted to drive off with some of the stolen merchandise.

Kara checked on the girls, who were stunned, but out of harm's way, then grabbed the back of the van, lifting its wheels off the pavement.

She swung the van into the storefront across the alley, shattering the window, and setting off all kinds of alarms. Laura untied the children and carried them off towards Kara. They zipped back across the parking lot, and the grateful girls hugged Laura and Kara, and even Tim, for the heck of it.

"Thank you so much!" The older girl gushed. "Yes thank you. Are you angels?" The seven year old asked. "No, far from it." Laura joked. "Let's just keep this between us, okay? I want you guys to be safe. Don't talk about the bad men, or us. The police officers will make sure that the bad men don't hurt you." The children nodded.

The youngest one gave Kara a stuffed toy bear that she'd bought at the arcade. "This is to thank you for saving us." The alien girl reddened. "Awww! I can't take that. I just wanted you to be safe. How about if I autograph it for you?" Kara used her pinpoint laser vision to engrave the symbol for the House of El, the prominent 'S' that she would sport on her own chest in the future, into its back.

She used her breath to cool off the smoldering symbol, and handed it back to the little girl. "That is so cool!" The thirteen year old said. "Yes, way cool!" Tim added as Laura smiled, a tear coming to her eye. "Here's something for you." Laura offered the older girl a hastily crafted, metallic, gold bird about the size of her palm that she'd created earlier in the week.

"This is called 'the Gold Wing'" Laura explained. "You'll see more soon! At least I hope so." The young teen grinned proudly, sticking the gold wing image in her pocket. "Gee thanks!" The older girl hugged Laura again. The younger girl waved at them as they began to walk away. "Be careful going home!" Tim urged. The children nodded.

"I still think that they're angels." The young girl told her older sibling. "Don't be silly, Katie, they were super heroes!" She glanced back and waved before taking her younger sister by the hand. By now the police sirens had begun waling drawing ever closer. Kara used her superior vision to check on the thugs and hostages. Everything seemed to be in order.

A police car and a mall security van pulled up near the edge of the alley. "That's our cue to leave!" Tim urged. The girls agreed and they scurried back to the red Mustang. Other children were starting to mill about, attracted by all the commotion. There was no sign of the bullies that they encountered earlier. "That was fun!" Tim said facetiously.

"Sure it was." Laura chuckled as they entered the car. "What do we want to do next weekend? We can always come back, and possibly play some arcade games this time!" Kara smirked. She felt really good about what she'd done today. The alien girl had learned quite a bit about human behavior.

Tim stared blankly at her. "Pass!" He complained. Laura laughed out loud, ruffling Tim's curly hair. "Aw, it wasn't that bad, Tim-Ster! Just think, we've created a new legend here today." Kara was puzzled. "How so?" Laura carefully backed out of her parking spot.

"Our new fans, those young girls, that's how." Laura reasoned. "There isn't a teenage girl on the planet that can keep a secret very long." Kara nodded, but wondered what would happen next.

Meanwhile, Intergang's boss, Inga Strange, wasn't amused. Her lackeys had failed to return with the necessary electronics items, and circuit board parts that she'd needed.

The project would go on hold again, and her boss wouldn't be pleased.

"Myrick!" She yelled at her line supervisor. "Find out what happened to our merchandise!" Inga ordered harshly. Behind her, a conveyor belt full of electronics slowed to a stop.


	5. Chapter 5: A Rose By Any Other Name

**A Rose by Any Other Name**

Back in Falcon Claw, Kara, Laura, and Tim were saying goodbyes. "Have you given any thought to that secret identity idea, Kara?" Laura questioned her new friend. "Not at the moment." She replied, adding: "I still need to follow up on the possibility that Kandor exists."

"You know, Kara, that's a lonely road to go down." Tim began, finally warming up to the alien teen. "I mean your powers are extraordinary, even by my angel of chaos's standards. You should use your abilities to change the world. We could form an alliance of sorts." Tim pitched.

"What would you contribute?" Laura teased her genius friend. "I would be the brains of the outfit." Tim began, full of himself as usual. Kara flashed him a dirty look. "Not that your intelligence is lacking in any respect, but you must admit that my cyber prowess is far superior to most."

Laura shook her head. "Not helping the cause, Tim." She chastised. Kara smiled warmly. "I'll certainly consider it." She gave Tim and Laura high fives, remembering not to injure the young computer whiz.

"Now that you've been 'outed', so to speak." Laura began, as her eyes sparkled. "What about our dual identity aspect?" She insisted on putting Kara on the spot. "I really don't want to rush into anything." Kara backpedaled. "What did you have in mind?"

"Check this out, K girl." Laura smirked and zipped into her Gold Wing outfit: The common black leather jacket, black leather pants, glossy black boots, and bright canary yellow tee shirt. The finishing touch was a gold colored Mardi Gras mask which covered half of her face. "I also have a matching black miniskirt." Laura boasted. Tim rolled his eyes at the impending girl talk.

"Can you see out of that mask?" Kara inquired, and cocked her head to one side. "I'll have to create larger eye holes, but it'll work." Laura replied. "I just want to be me." Kara said with disdain. "I can relate to that, my golden alien goddess." Tim gushed.

"Laura's comments are not without merit." He added. "Should you choose a life of duality, you must then live half a life in lies. I assume that the secondary persona would be to your advantage. Wouldn't it be the 'best of both worlds?" Laura agreed with Tim's remarks, as she put her arm around Kara's slim shoulders. "I know that it's a lot to take in." She said sincerely.

"Let's head back to my Aunt Wanda's farm!" Laura urged as she and Kara sped away, leaving Tim standing alone in his family's driveway. "Hello? Ladies? No super powers, remember?" He yelled as Kara and Laura zoomed back. "Sorry Tim-ster!" Laura apologized. "I forgot about my dad's car as well." They piled into the bright red Mustang and drove off.

Once they reached her Aunt Wanda's place, Laura busily dug into some boxes, suitcases, clothes chests, and dresser drawers in the barn loft. "What are you looking for, my perplexing pet?" Tim asked as Kara rolled her eyes at him.

"How about helping me find an appropriate disguise for our wonder girl?" Laura directed. "You start on those boxes near the wall."

Kara wandered around the barn loft checking over Laura's personal things. "Laura, who's this?" Kara asked, noticing a small photo album on her new friend's homework desk. "Oh! That's my other friend, Mike Trent." Laura said without any emotional attachment.  
Tim rolled his eyes at the mention of Laura's former first crush. "He's cute!" Kara commented. "I've actually known him longer than Tim, though we traveled in different social circles." Laura explained. "He hung out with the jocks and cheerleaders…talk about pouring gasoline on a fire."

"Mike's choice of companions left Laura to hang out with me, and vice versa." Tim whined. "Don't whine, Tim, it's bad for your complexion." Laura teased. "The jocks and cheerleaders always picked on those that weren't up to their lofty standards."

"Why are people so mean to one another?" Kara asked wide-eyed, as she recalled the girls who'd treated her badly at last year's Harvest Fair, and all of the times that Lex was mean to nearly everyone. "It's human nature, K Girl." Laura dismissed her with a wave. "Some people just have problems, and are just downright mean. How about this?"

Laura produced a brown, long-haired wig, and a pair of dummy black wire rimmed glasses. "You could wear these, and you'd look less like space alien Barbie, and more like nerd girl." She quipped. Kara tried them both on, glancing in a mirror.

"Wow! This changes my appearance dramatically." She remarked. "Voila! K Girl's secret identity." Laura proudly straightened the wig on Kara's head. "What was this from?" The alien beauty asked. "I wore that getup a couple of Halloweens ago. I don't know what type of costume to call it." Laura responded. "A nerd girl?" Tim asked with mock offense. "Good enough." Laura agreed.

"Now you need a nickname or secret persona." Tim pointed out. "Only the locals know that I'm an only child. You can always say that you're my sister, Linda Lee?" Laura offered. "Linda Lee Lake?" Tim echoed. "Nah! I don't like that one." Laura wrinkled her nose.

"Danvers!" Laura snapped her fingers, causing a minor shockwave that cascaded through the barn, and disturbed the peacefully grazing cattle just outside the corral. Tim and Kara exchanged glances. "Danvers was my mother, Muriel's, maiden name." Laura explained. "Is all that sufficient?" Tim questioned. "I don't know, I guess." Kara hedged.

"You should try it out on Clark." Laura instigated. "He'd never buy it, X-Ray vision." Kara pointed to her eyes. "Really? The great one can see through things?" Tim smirked. "Boy, would I love to be able to do that." Laura sneered. "I bet you would, Tim."

"Aunt Martha is going to freak out as well." Kara snickered, as she adjusted the dummy glasses. "Congratulations, K Girl, you're now in the realm of the super heroes." Laura teased.

One more minor touch." Laura joked. She pulled out a hideous multicolored tie dyed tee shirt. Kara giggled as she pulled it over her low cut, cropped white tee. "It's absolutely horrible!" the teen alien laughed. "I love it!" Laura and Tim exchanged high fives.

"Linda Lee Danvers, meet Kara Zor El from Krypton!" Laura joked.  
_A Rose By Any Other Name_... cont'd

Kara decided to follow up on her prank. She soared towards Smallville after stopping off in Lincoln Mall to buy a couple of boxes of cookies. Kara landed on the front lawn at the Kent farm, in her new Linda Lee Danvers disguise. She purposely rang the doorbell of her Aunt's front door.  
Martha Kent answered. "Yes? Can I help you?" Kara held back a snicker, as she made sure that Martha was alone. "Hello, would you like to buy these cookies? They're for a good cause." Kara changed the pitch of her voice. She'd been practicing mimicking various female voices as part of her secret identity plan.

"What cause is this?" Martha asked suspiciously. "Kal El's after dinner snack!" Kara laughed heartily. "What?" Martha was shocked. "It's me, Aunt Martha! Kara!" She stepped into the house and spun out of her nerd girl disguise. Martha collected her thoughts and managed a thin grin.

"My word. Kara!" Martha took the cookies and placed them on the table gingerly. "That was very good! Are you sure you want to conceal your identity?" Kara shook her long blonde hair free from the myriad of bobby pins that she'd used to pin it up in a bun.

"Yes Aunt Martha." The alien beauty replied. "I want to be myself, yet I also want to be unknown, part of the local scenery. It won't be easy, but I think it's worth it. The only option I see is to create a separate identity. My friend Laura called it Linda Lee Danvers, her alleged cousin."

"Tim Servo is working on a fictional documentation history for Linda Lee." Kara added, as she popped open a box of cookies, and grabbed some milk. "I can't say that I'm in favor of fraudulent documents, Kara." Martha pointed out. "I also can't see any less threatening alternative."

"We have to face the facts that both you and Clark will have to have the proper documentation if you're to have any semblance of a real life." Martha mentioned. "I understand, Aunt Martha. We won't abuse the privilege. The reality is that if we get jobs, we have to pay taxes like everyone else. It's fair." Kara discussed. Her superior hearing picked up Clark and Lois walking up the driveway.

Kara spun into her Linda Lee identity. Clark opened the door for Lois. "Listen Smallville, I still say that you drive like an old lady…" Lois grumbled. "Pardon me?" Martha asked half seriously, and folded her arms. "Uh…Hi Martha. I meant old lady in the figurative sense…not that you're old…" Lois gulped. Clark rolled his eyes. "I mean…" Lois began. "I think I'll just shut up while I'm ahead."

Kara held back her chuckle. "Who's your friend?" Lois spied Kara sitting comfortably on a kitchen chair, as a moustache of white milk ringed her lips. Clark glanced at Kara strangely.

"This is Linda Lee Danvers." Martha played along. Lois reluctantly waved. "Hey. Lois Lane, Daily Planet." She extended a hand and Kara was barely able to keep from erupting in laughter. "Miss Lane." Kara mimicked a deep, heavily accented voice. "Got a frog in your throat?" Lois asked, freaking Kara out. "A frog?" She glanced at Clark who eyed her suspiciously.

Kara rubbed her throat carefully. Lois's eyes narrowed. "Whatever!" She said as she walked past them and into the family den. "I'd love to chat, but I promised Perry that I'd cover writing the NASCAR article that the Sports Department mucked up. Clark, care to help me edit?"

He nodded absently, staring right at Kara as he passed. So far it's working, she thought giving Martha the thumbs up. "So Linda, what brings you out to the farm?" Lois asked, glancing briefly over her shoulder as she set up her laptop on the coffee table.

"I uh came to visit…from far away…because I'm a new neighbor." Kara's voice cracked a bit and Clark narrowed his eyes, while he stared at her.

"Welcome to the boonies!" Lois sniped as she flipped the laptop's drive on. "Lois, would you excuse me a moment?" Clark grinned.

"Suit yourself!" Lois pulled up the NASCAR article on screen. Clark walked past his mother and purposely ignored Kara, instead grabbing a glass for some orange juice. Kara followed his every move. He stopped quickly, and stared into Kara's eyes, deciding to give her some grief.

"You know, after Lois leaves I can take you upstairs…" Clark tried to sound sexy. "What?" Kara was horrified. Martha shook her head, realizing that Clark was onto Kara's game. He finally broke down and laughed. "Kara, you missed a spot!" He pointed to his lips. "Milk moustache!"

"Ooh! Kal!" Kara fumed as Clark, quite pleased with himself, went back to helping Lois. Martha chuckled as Kara stalked out of the kitchen and onto the porch outside, where she quick-changed back into her more common, cropped, midriff baring, white tee shirt and high cut denim miniskirt.

She reentered the kitchen and helped herself to some more cookies. Kara was satisfied that she'd at least fooled Aunt Martha and Lois with her new disguise. It had potential, she mused, slurping down some more milk. Her cell phone rang. It was Tim Servo, Laura's friend.

Lois was attracted to the musical cell ring tone. She glanced up from the laptop. "Hey kiddo! I didn't see you come in…where's your neighbor?" Martha shrugged, forced into covering up for her precocious niece. "I guess Linda had some work to do." She replied as Lois returned her attention to the task at hand. Kara sighed. "Thanks, Aunt Martha. I guess I'd better take this."

Kara vaulted silently upstairs, zipping past Lois, who felt the cool wind whip past her. "Nice breeze in here today, eh Smallville?" Lois remarked absently, without removing her gaze from the laptop. "Uh huh!" Clark muttered, glancing at Martha and shaking his head.

"Hey Tim!" Kara answered, as she climbed atop her freshly made bed, and flipped over, lying on her stomach and kicking her long legs in the air. "What's up?"

"Really? Thanks, I guess!" Kara was suddenly shocked, ceasing all movement. "Uh…I don't know. I'll have to ask my Aunt Martha."

Kara bolted downstairs where Martha Kent, Clark, and Lois were all working on different things. "Aunt Martha!" Kara said excitedly, as she forgot herself and zipped into the front room, stopping virtually alongside Lois. The breeze blew Lois's hair over her eyes, as Clark frowned.

"Whoa! Easy there kiddo!" Lois said as she shoved the offending hair off to one side. "You must be on a major caffeine buzz, or training to be an Olympic runner! Maybe you better lay off the Red Bull." Kara flushed. "Sorry." Martha put her head in her hands. An alien, teenage, supercharged niece would take some getting used to, she mused.

"What's all the excitement, Kara?" Clark asked warily. "Tim Servo just asked me out!" The blonde beauty blurted. "Ooh! A date!" Lois pretended that her hand was trembling. "That ought to send shockwaves across the calm, placid farm fields that are Smallville." She joked cynically.

"Do you like Tim?" Martha asked logically. "He's okay." Kara wasn't exactly gushing. "Tim? That's Laura Lake's friend, isn't it?" Clark inquired. Kara nodded.

"If you want to go honey, go right ahead." Martha said. "You're over eighteen." As far as we know, she

thought. "Just be careful." Martha added, preparing to go back to reading her business journal. "Whoa! What do you know about this Tim Servo?" Clark grilled. "He's nice. He's smart, and uh…" Kara was momentarily stumped. "I'm sure his intentions are honorable." Martha joshed.

Lois snorted in an unladylike fashion. "Sure they are." Clark gave her 'the evil eye'. Kara stared at Lois blankly. Martha waited for Lois to explain her comments. "What kind of a date?" Lois began the interrogation. "His and Laura's senior prom." The teen beauty responded.

Lois winced. "Ouch!" Clark's eyes widened. "Would you care to elaborate?" He challenged Lois. "Okay kiddo, here's the thing." She addressed Kara. "Senior proms are notorious for being stressful and traumatic." Lois explained. Martha rolled her eyes. "Only if you let them, dear."

"My proms weren't too bad." Clark qualified. "Aside from the twister that nearly destroyed Smallville you mean?" Lois said. Chloe had clearly been talking to Lois about him, specifically. "True." Clark added. "The senior prom wasn't bad." Lois grimaced.

"Aside from me waking up in an appalling pink gown after my body had been hijacked by a crazed prom queen?" Clark frowned. "I see your point." Lois grinned. "That ignores the fact that my possessed cousin came after you with an ax?" Lois mentioned, as Clark shrugged it off. "How likely is that to happen again?"

Kara was amused and horrified. "Gee, that sounds like fun." She remarked sarcastically. Martha shook her head. "Kara, don't worry about it. You'll manage." She reassured her skittish niece.

"A senior prom, though a bit overblown, is an important event in a young person's life with regard to proper socialization. We test our manners and conversation skills, and make changes where we must."

After Martha's lecture, Kara felt more relaxed and confident. It wasn't as if Tim had asked to marry her or something. "You think I should go?" Kara asked everyone. "Sure." Martha responded. "If you're not comfortable with Tim, then just go as friends." Kara nodded.

"Ew! Playing the friends card really sucks." Lois commented before she'd thought it through. "Excuse me?" Martha asked. Lois reddened. "Sorry. Don't listen to me, I'm certainly no expert on relationships."

Clark kept his tongue in his cheek for a moment. "Neither am I, Kara, neither am I." he finally remarked. Those were the good old days, he mused, when all I had to worry about was finding a date. Before the whole world fell onto my shoulders. "You know what, Kara? Just go for it. Have fun."

Kara beamed. "Thanks Kal…uh…Clark." Lois had fortunately missed Kara's faux pas, though it hadn't escaped Martha. "That's decided then." Lois glanced up from her laptop. "You know what comes next, don't you Kara? Shopping! It's time for some major girl power."

Clark groaned. "Don't worry, Smallville, we won't drag you with us. Have credit card, will travel!" Lois quipped. "Come on kiddo!" She slapped her laptop closed and took Kara buy the hand, startling the alien beauty.

"Let's call your date and return your response!" Lois again had viewed Kara like her errant younger sister, Lucy, taking charge of the situation. The girls disappeared upstairs.  
Martha and Clark exchanged glances. "Don't worry, she'll be all right." She reassured him.

"Let's hope so." He remarked, returning to proofing Lois's article. Clark recalled the failure of his first two formal outings, being hung as a scarecrow by Whitney Ford and his minions, and then dashing off in the middle of a dance with Chloe to rescue Lana from the twister.

The last formal dance went over slightly better, as he wistfully remembered holding Lana in his arms.

One would hope that Kara would endure no such travesties, he mused.


	6. Chapter 6: Code of Honor

The Legend of Kara Chapter 6: Code of Honor

Prom Night, May, 2009 – Kara sped over to Falcon Claw to pick up Tim Servo, Laura Lake- Gold Wing's best friend. She seemingly appeared out of nowhere on the Servo's front porch. Still feeling silly, the super girl from Krypton, by way of Argo and Kandor, sighed and spun into her prom dress, the one Lois Lane had picked out for her.

She carefully rang the doorbell. A young female child answered. "Whoa! Are you a princess?" Tamara Jane Servo asked. Kara stared down at the precocious eight-year old. "No, I'm Kara Kent, and you are?" The child smiled confidently. "Tammy Servo." She replied, adding: "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." Kara smirked. "That's good advice, but I'm here to see Tim. I assume he's home?"

Janet Servo quickly entered the living room and came up behind Tammy. "TJ! Go and see if your brother's ready yet." She directed the little girl. Tammy scurried away, giggling loudly. "Hello Mrs. Servo. Kara Kent, Tim's prom date." Kara nearly choked on the odd sounding words.

"Hello Kara, pleased to meet you." Mrs. Servo responded pleasantly. "Do you go to Timmy's school? I only ask because I haven't seen you around before." Kara shrugged. "I'm actually new to this area. I'm from out of state, Kansas, to be precise." She replied. "I met Tim through Laura Lake."

"Oh yes, Laura. I recall her mentioning you briefly." Mrs. Servo pried. "You know that Tim and Laura had known each other for many years now." Mrs. Servo looked to be in her mid to late forties to Kara, and had a polite, though nosy demeanor. Tim's mother guided Kara to the family's sunken living room. The tri-level townhome was clean and tastefully decorated.

Kara quickly took in the scene, planning to compliment Mrs. Servo on something. "Lovely home you have here, and tidy as well." She had been practicing human's small talk in an effort to be more acceptable to the society. It hadn't been very different from Krypton, Argo, or Kandor with regard to the family relationships, so far, though Earth was far less advanced than Kryptonian society.

Tim came bounding down the stairs, dressed elegantly in his black rental tux, flawless white dress shirt, red power tie, and recently polished black dress shoes. It was apparent to Kara that he had been looking forward to this time honored high school ritual for a while. Little Tammy, still giggly, followed at his heel. She promptly vaulted onto the sofa, to observe the bizarre event.

Kara felt bad that she had only spent a few minutes getting ready, and Lois had actually paid for her formal dress. Tim's eyes widened as he gawked at the alien beauty. Lois had picked out a bright blue, off the shoulder dress for Kara, which hemmed out at about mid-thigh, somewhat shorter than the other prom-going girls likely had chosen to wear. Her waist was accented with a thick, red satin belt.

Kara's long, tan, legs led to smart, light blue, high heeled shoes that added an extra four inches to the super girl's overall height, and yet she held her perfectly postured frame regally. Kara looked every bit the image of a young princess. By Lois's suggestion, Kara had opted to wear her hair up high atop her head, allowing a few strands of her thick, lengthy blonde hair to dangle freely, framing her face.

"Kara! You look astounding!" Tim gushed. "Thanks, Tim, so do you." She remarked, as any other words failed her. The alien beauty still wasn't comfortable with this important rite of passage, after all she'd been through, between fighting the wraith that attacked Kal El, getting stuck in the horrid phantom zone, and dealing with the Kandorians, a prom date seemed so anticlimactic.

Yet, she knew that this peculiar social ritual was important to Tim, and possibly Laura as well, and she still needed to circulate among her own friends, not just with Kal's acquaintances, or Lois's. Kara viewed Laura and Tim as her young social group, a contact with Earth denizens near to her age. That ignored the fact that technically, she was likely sixteen years older than Kal.

"Pictures!" Mrs. Servo announced. "Kara, can you and Timmy stand in front of the fireplace?" The young people reluctantly moved to the requested spot. Kara had briefly thought about refusing the proud mother's eager photo shoot, but decided that it was probably rude to do so. She sucked it up and flashed a bright, toothy smile for the seemingly endless barrage of poses.

Finally, Tim nervously pinned the colorful corsage to Kara's chest. The first pin shattered as Tim's sweaty hand slipped and poked her just above the right breast. Fortunately, Mrs. Servo missed that telltale oddity. Naturally, Kara hadn't felt anything, and was wondering why Tim was taking so long to accomplish so seemingly simple of a task. Tim had used his own corsage pin to attach the decoration.

Tammy watched all the fuss with mild amusement. Secretly, the scrappy eight-year old dreamed of one day wearing the princess dress like Kara had worn for her own prom night. Even though she really didn't understand the whole formal thing, to her it seemed really cool.

Mr. Servo was home, but he'd been working in the family's basement office on the computer system. He briefly popped in to greet Kara, and gave his son the 'thumbs up', of approval on his spectacular choice of date. Mrs. Servo had 'grilled' Kara a bit, and was pleased that her son's date didn't smoke, drink, do drugs, etc. and she added the standard lecture about behavior.

Kara patiently listened to the speech, and was already standing. Finally, the mass photo shoot ended, and the young couple was ready to go. Tim was now eighteen, so he could stay out as late as anyone attending the prom, but that depended on how he and Kara got along. Tim held the porch screen door open for Kara, as she gracefully made her way down the stairs. Tim quickly escorted her to the family car, under the watchful eye of Mrs. Servo and Tammy.

Tim held open the car door for Kara, and made sure that her dress hadn't gotten caught up in the slamming door. After a good-natured wave to the Servo's, Kara let out a breath that she'd been holding. It was still odd to her, feeling nervous and unprepared for a benign social event like a prom.

"How're you holding up, Kara?" Tim asked politely. "You're not too overwhelmed by our strange human traditions, I hope." Kara smiled brightly. "It does seem very strange, actually." She began. "I mean we've fought wraiths, phantoms, rogue Kandorians, and a host of other criminals, and this prom thing still makes me nervous." Tim chuckled. "Such is the life of an Earth teen." He quipped.

"Try to have fun." Tim continued, echoing Clark's sentiments of a day before. "Consider it a study of adolescent human teens and how they interact, rather than a date." He reassured her. Kara nodded perceptively, and watched the Falcon Claw scenery crawl past her window.

In a little while, Tim pulled up in front of Chateau Brionne, the multipurpose banquet hall that the Falcon Claw High seniors had chosen to host this last prom of the season. Tim and Laura had just completed their final exams on Thursday, and this would likely be the last time that they would see their classmates. A valet service rep held the door for Kara, and then parked the Servo's family car nearby.

The Chateau was decorated beautifully, with plenty of colorful foliage, and exquisite use of lighting effects, especially near the half dozen or so fountains that ringed the building. The entire property was fenced in, and several areas were specifically designed for a myriad of photo ops.

Tim guided Kara through the gold trimmed, double glass doors which led into the large lobby. Two curved stairways cascaded down from a second floor balcony, again providing a classy, colorful backdrop for any picture takers. They passed the coat room, which likely wouldn't be used much tonight, given the warm, humid, late May weather that Falcon Claw was enjoying.

Tim had noted that there had been a threat of severe thunderstorms in the area, but it wasn't clear how soon, or how close the storm front would pass to them. Falcon Claw, Nebraska was right in the middle of the much maligned 'tornado alley' which spanned from roughly Texas right on through to Illinois. Kara mused that ironically, Smallville, Kansas was also within this so called 'Rim of Fire,' and had been the cause of the fatal twister outbreak that Clark had saved Lana Lang from many years ago.

Tim recalled that a similar tornado outbreak had caused Laura's parents' untimely deaths to remain unsolved. The autopsies had shown that both Steve and Muriel Lake were murdered, execution style, two gunshots each. Unfortunately, the twisters that wreaked havoc on Falcon Claw destroyed any physical evidence of the murders. The police said that they were lucky to find the bodies.

Tim held Kara's hand, as they walked towards the banquet hall dining room that the high school had been assigned. Kara quickly sized up the Falcon Claw students and faculty. She watched the couples' behavior, and committed their activities to memory. She couldn't immediately assess any threats, forgetting that this was a prom, not a crime scene. Kara had been sharpening her observation techniques.

Oliver Queen had lectured her about being observant, and not always choosing to slap heads together. It was no secret that Clark and Oliver were trying to create a team of crime-fighters, though they were quite a way off from putting something actually functional together.

All of the fuss that Mrs. Servo had made caused the couple to arrive late to the prom. Laura and her date, Mike Trent, were already there. They sat at a table with Shana Springbrook and Derrick Dumas. Laura waved the fashionably late couple towards their table.

Outside, the weather had turned windy and unstable, as dark clouds made their way in from the southwest. Lightning began to flash, thunder rolled, and some small hail began to pelt the cars of the last few prom goers to arrive. The kids hustled through the parking lot, taking shelter beneath the chateau's awning. After the heat and humidity of the day peaked, the storm gained power.

The faculty and moderators on hand kept an eye on the inclement weather. The prom began without a hitch as the DJ played her set, and the live local pop rock band continued the musical festivities. Kara had been practicing the latest and traditional human dances, and was eager to try out her talent.

Finally, Tim gathered enough courage to ask Kara to dance. He gingerly took her hand and led her towards the center of the hall. Laura was all smiles, as for once, no current crises needed her attention, and she could relax and enjoy the moment. Mike was an excellent dancer, and he picked all slow songs.

The prom continued without incident for a couple of hours. The girls excused themselves to head for the bathrooms. Derrick Dumas admired Shana's petite figure as she led the girls away. Shana wore a bright green off the shoulder dress that highlighted her emerald green eyes.

The boys sat together watching the girls move across the hall. Laura had chosen a snappy black strapless dress, cut fairly high, and wore her slick, raven black hair down at past shoulder length. The thick mane was highlighted by the two brilliant golden blond streaks of hair that rimmed her thin face.

Laura towered over the other two girls in the four-inch heels she'd bought just last week. From head to toe her height easily reached six feet. Shana was much shorter, and Kara came in midway in between them. Another girl, Sefia Parna, a transfer student from Israel followed them to the restroom. Derrick recalled the brown haired beauty from his Calculus class.

"Dude, that Kara is hot!" Derrick praised, as he spoke to Tim. "How'd you manage that?" Mike rolled his eyes at Derrick's comment. "All of the girls are cute." Tim put in diplomatically. "I know Kara from being friends with Laura." Mike nodded. "Sefia's kind of hot, too." He casually observed.

Sefia, and the other girls entered the restroom, and cleaned up. Shana stood at the sink next to Sefia, and noticed a beautiful silver and gold pendant that the girl wore proudly at the end of a gold, small linked chain. Shana hadn't ever seen a design quite like it.

"What a beautiful pendant." Shana praised. "Is it a family heirloom?" Laura and Kara admired the jewelry as well. Sefia was pleased with all of the attention that the girls were paying to her, proceeded to explain. "My mother inherited this type of pendant from my grandmother, and she from hers, and so on." Sefia flipped it over to show the girls an inscription.

"Wow! It sounds valuable!" Laura exclaimed. "Aren't you afraid that someone might steal it?" Sefia shook her head. "Actually, this is not the original pendant, but a reasonably priced mock up. The inverted 'V' over a standard 'V', with my initials in its center, 'S P', represents a similar logo ascribed to the Ancient Order of the Free Masons. I attend a Masonic temple every Saturday for Church."

"It sounds so cool." Shana praised. "The Free Masons have a fascinating history, even here in America." Sefia continued in her clipped Middle-Eastern accent. "George Washington, your first president, was purported to be a Free Mason, as was Benjamin Franklin, among others. Masonic symbols are present on your one dollar bills, the illuminated eye atop a pyramid for example."

Sefia realized that she'd begun rambling. "I know, pretty geeky, right?" She asked, her high cheekbones reddened slightly. "Not at all." Laura countered pleasantly. Kara had been listening to the girls' chit chatting and made a mental note to check on Sefia's Free Mason story later.

"I wish that we'd met you earlier in the school year." Shana commented sadly. "I'm sure that you have a number of fascinating stories to tell." Laura nodded in agreement. "Are you staying in America to attend college?" She added. "Possibly, if my paperwork goes through, meaning my student Visa, education loans, etc. I've applied to an East Coast college called St. Clair's."

"Did you bring a date?" Shana inquired. "You both would be welcome at our table." Sefia smiled appreciatively. "I'd like that. My date, Gavin McLeod, is also an exchange student. He hails from Great Britain, or the United Kingdom, as some call it." Laura shook Sefia's hand. "It's settled then. Please join us." The girls finished primping, combing, and adjusting, and headed back to the dance hall.

Ironically, Gavin had grown bored, and had stopped by the table with the other three boys. Sefia grinned brightly as she approached them, and Gavin held a chair for her. The other boys separated, allowing their dates to fill in the empty seats with their personal items.

The DJ lights reflected on Sefia's bright, two toned, multicolored dress. Laura noted that the dress seemed to change color alternately between lavender, light blue, and pale pink. A flash caught her attention. The thunderstorm had been wreaking havoc outside, and a searing bolt of lightning shone through the entire dance hall. It eerily illuminated the figures painted in the stained glass windows.

Laura thought, just for an instant, that the shape from Sefia's pendant was reflected through one of the depicted figurines. She decided that the lightning was playing tricks on her eyes, and ignored the rest of the flashes, instead turning her attentions back to the conversation at hand.

The prom likely had less than an hour left to reach its conclusion. The Prom King and Queen would be named, and the DJ would make the last call for dances and drinks. The adults were gathering near the snack table, and appeared to be engaged in an animated discussion.

Kara had sensed the tension in Laura's demeanor, and concentrated her superior hearing on the adults' conversation, brushing a lock of thick blonde hair away from her ear. The impending storm front had worsened, and the adults were debating on whether to shut down the event.

One teacher reasoned that the children would be safer in the Chateau, citing that there was an old wine cellar beneath the dining room that could be used as a storm cellar or basement, should the weather turn exceedingly nasty. The debate had centered on how many children would fit within it.

Kara began toying with the idea of confronting a tornado or twister as Kal had many years ago, but silently hoped that it wouldn't come to that.


End file.
